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Selma Review

Selma is a movie about a civil rights issue in 1965. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was attempting to make President Lyndon Johnson to care about the people in this country and not in Vietnam. Give the African American people in the South the chance to vote. This was a first of many steps to end segregation in this country that still lingers on today.

It is directed by Ava DuVernay who really hasn’t directed any other big budget movies but she has been on the crew for a lot of other movies. She did an amazing job correctly creating the world that was Selma, Alabama in the mid 60’s. I believe she got snubbed for best director in the Oscars. This movie was very well directed and was shot very beautifully.

This movie stars David Oyelowo as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Carmen Ejogo as Coretta Scott King. The chemistry between these two people is impressive to say the least. They seem exactly like a strong married couple going through several waves of adversity. Nothing between them seems forced or pushed one way or another. There are no “movie lines” in this film. Everything seems natural.

Tom Wilkinson plays President Lyndon B. Johnson and he does a very good job acting like a man who is conflicted on two fronts. Tim Roth plays Gov. George Wallace. I think he was the most underrated actor in this movie because his character is so believable. He fits right in to what was happening and embodies the white man’s attitude very well in this movie.

Civil rights movies can be sometimes blown out of proportion but in this case, I thought it was very well done showcasing how people felt in the moment. I am stunned and amazed at what happened in this country not that long ago. Without people like Dr. King, injustice might still be happening today in a much more severe way. Without his actions in 1965, the voting rights act might have not occurred until much later. As late as the end of the Vietnam war.

Overall, this is a great film that got snubbed in almost every way starting with not getting nominated for best director, best leading actor, and best supporting actor. It is astonishing that this was nominated for less categories than some other films. Please see this movie. It truly is amazing.